User:GabriellaMichel

Each morning at 6am, across from the American Embassy in Dhaka, hundreds of day labourers wait in hopes of finding an employer. Garments, domestic, and hospitality workers walk on either side of the street toward factories, homes, and hotels. In Bangladesh, about 85 percent of jobs are in the informal labour market. These are not only jobs in construction, garments, and domestic work, but also graphic designers, beauticians, IT support, and mobile phone technicians. Their daily wages depend on how effectively they can negotiate salary, learn new skills, and develop relationships with employers. According to the Bangladesh Labour Force Survey, more than 90 percent of working women are in informal employment; and more than one half of women in the informal economy have little or no education.


Bangladesh has made significant economic strides in the last two decades, but in order to continue its rapid growth, the country must invest in new solutions for one of its fastest-growing workforces: women. Across the country, women earn about half as much as men; this gender gap is only exacerbated in the informal market where, for example, a male construction worker can make one and a half times more than his female counterpart. This is both a social concern and an economic one. There are significantly less women in the workforce as compared to men, especially in Bangladesh. Between 2003 and 2010 women's workforce participation barely increased: from about 27.5 percent to 37 percent of women were working as compared to 90 percent of men. This puts Bangladesh below other lower-middle income countries and far lower than the average for middle-income countries (48 percent).


The percentage of working women actually decreased by six percent between 2010 and 2016. Research done by the World Bank shows that women have less access to high-quality jobs as compared to their male counterparts. They are unable to access jobs and also struggle to maintain employment when they do. Globally, women's economic equality could add as much as USD 12 trillion to Gross Domestic Product. To foster the economic growth we envision for Bangladesh, we need to ensure that women have equal access to jobs and break down the barriers to employment that stand in their way. As a manager for BRAC's Skills Development Program, I have seen firsthand how successful job placements can increase employment in the short- and long-term.


For the last five years, our programme has secured jobs for 95 percent of our more than 39,000 participants. To drive these results, we train disadvantaged youth, especially women and people with disabilities, through on-the-job apprenticeships. Women leave the programme equipped with skills to repair motorcycles and cell phones, work in hospitality, or graphic design, or in the garment sector. Our evaluations show 77 percent of our 2014 graduates are still employed and their income increased six times. But despite training women to competitively enter the workforce, there are still significant barriers that can compromise their productivity and wage equity. Initial research shows female participants dropping out of the market at a higher rate than their male counterparts, which is cause for concern.


Many female graduates of BRAC's skills programme report difficulty navigating the job market and employers on their own. Where should she go to find a new job? How might she improve her skills? How can she grow in her current job or move into a higher position? How does she address discrimination or violence in an unregulated workplace? There are remarkable opportunities for new technology to address these systemic issues. A platform designed for working women could create an inclusive marketplace, with resources for her to develop her skills and access jobs. A recent article in Fast Company highlights the role technology can play in creating an online community and support network that empowers women workers and addresses harassment.


Other sites like Glassdoor provide workers with transparent information about how much their peers are making across industries. Platforms like these, specifically for Bangladeshi women in the informal market, could foster mentorship, provide ongoing training, and improve salary negotiations—giving women the insight and tools they need to get ahead. It could also illustrate to employers the incentives for hiring women whose skills are on par with their male counterparts. Technology products specifically designed for women have had marked success and offer a counterpoint to those that market to women as an afterthought. Companies like Ellevest, an investment company that offers advice for women, have had profound success with this approach. Ellevest advises women on their investments, keeping in mind their unique financial situation: compared to men, they live longer, take more career breaks because of children, and make different investment decisions.


Services targeted at women, especially those provided digitally, must be created with a woman's life, habits, and lifestyle in mind if they are going to be effective and adopted widely. There are also significant opportunities for employers—from small firms to large enterprises—to leverage technology to close the gender pay gap, ensure transparency for shareholders, while also fostering high productivity to deliver on their bottom line. In Mozambique, the mobile platform Biscate is helping companies hire workers who have been vetted and rated based on their previous work experience. Companies can also advertise services, products, or job openings to workers while also assessing industry trends. There are more than 1,000 female workers on the platform who can access the same job opportunities as men. Putting systems like these can both positively impact employees while also increasing profits with more efficient and effective hiring processes. We have the opportunity, and challenge, of using technology, coupled with effective programmes and adoption by employers, to close the gender gap in the workforce. It is not just socially responsible for us to prioritise a solution that works; but Bangladesh's future, both socially and economically, depends on it.


Coastal residents in Bangladesh are losing their homes and farmland at an astonishing rate due to riverbank erosion, which affects roughly 1 million people and displaces 50,000 to 200,000 every year. The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basin, which runs from the Himalayas through Bangladesh, is the third largest river basin in the world. While only 7 percent of the river basin's area is located in Bangladesh, over 90 percent of the basin's discharge flows through the country. Tom Crawford, professor and chair of the Department of Geography. The first phase of the study, which began in September 2017, included a January 2018 field visit to two villages in Bangladesh that will serve as study sites. The team met with local villagers, government officials, and nonprofit workers to introduce the project.


In addition to meeting with the villagers and local leaders, the team also spent time in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. There, they met with government officials to discuss the project and participated in a scientific conference on environmental hazards in Bangladesh. Crawford also gave a guest presentation for Dhaka University's Geography Department. In March and April, faculty team members and students from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University will implement surveys to 400 households and hold focus groups in the two villages. In May, Rahman will return to Bangladesh to conduct key informant interviews and bring back data for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Crawford and Rahman will also use satellite images captured between 1988 and 2018 to plot spatiotemporal patterns of erosion and generate location-specific annual rates of erosion and erosion variability. Scott Curtis, professor of atmospheric science at East Carolina University, will compile precipitation data for that time period, which will help the team determine how precipitation impacts shoreline changes.


New Delhi: The first 'smart fence' pilot project to plug vulnerable gaps along India's borders has been rolled out in Assam on a riverine stretch with Bangladesh, the Border Security Force chief said. The project is a part of the Modi government's ambitious plan to completely seal the India-Pakistan and the India-Bangladesh borders in the next few years. It is called the comprehensive integrated border management system (CIBMS). Border Security Force Director General KK Sharma told news agency PTI that the maiden testing of technical surveillance and alarm gadgetry was recently operationalised on the 55-km-long stretch in Dhubri, across the Brahmaputra.


At present, BSF troops use speed boats to guard this patch, which is highly prone to illegal migration and cattle smuggling due to the changing course of the mighty river. No permanent structure - like border posts - can be erected in the area. The Director General said a similar project will be launched this month along the India-Pakistan International Border, in two stretches of 5 km each, in Jammu. The technology being tested in the Dhubri region is a mix of surveillance and warning systems, he said, adding, he would not want to go into details about the devices being deployed. No, it is not like that. All this technology is available. The problem lies in integrating all these things. There is nothing unique or scarce about them. The technology is mostly developed abroad but India is fast catching up.


Bangladeshi denim products are dominating the global markets by beating its competitors in the European markets as well as in the United States by occupying a lion’s share of the proverbial denim pie. As of now, Bangladesh is the largest exporter of denim products to Europe with a 27% market share topping China, the largest exporters of clothing products to both Europe and the US. With a 14.20% market share, Bangladesh now is also the third largest exporter of denim products in the US after Mexico and China. According to Eurostat, statistics directorate of the European Commission, Bangladesh in 2017 exported denim products worth of €1.30 billion - a 0.54% hike from 2016’s €1.29 billion.


1.12 billion in the same period. 463.61 million in 2016, according to data from the Office of Textiles and Apparel (Otexa) in the US. 207.28 million, respectively. Bangladesh currently exports Blue Denim Trousers WG, Blue Denim Trousers MB, Blue Denim Skirts, Blue Denim Jackets, Blue Denim Suit Type Coats MB, Playsuits, and Sunsuits, among other products, to the international markets. The major global retailers to which Bangladeshi entrepreneurs also supply denim products include H&M, Uniqlo, Tesco, Walmart, Levi's, Diesel, Wrangler, G-Star, s.Oliver, Hugo Boss, and Gap. New investments both in fabrics and garments manufacturing and increased capacity are playing major roles in establishing Bangladesh’s dominance in the US and EU markets.


But manufacturers are also investing in research and development of high end products, helping them get a better price. Meanwhile, improvement of the safety standard in the apparel industry has also drawn the attention of more global buyers. "Investment in denim fabrics and denim manufacturing has increased sharply. As a result, production capacity has increased too, pushing the export earnings up and taking the lead in the global markets," Sayeed Ahmad Chowdhury, general manager of Square Denim, told the Dhaka Tribune. He said manufacturers now are also taking less time to produce the products as they are sourcing the fabrics from local mills instead of importing. "As a result, buyers are placing more orders here." In the last two years, Square Denim has increased its production capacity from 1.5 million meters to three million. Considering the increasing demand, Sayeed said, they will be launching another unit soon.


Envoy Textiles Managing Director Abdus Salam Murshedy told the Dhaka Tribune: "Buyers always want quality fabrics when it comes to denim products. To manufacture quality fabrics, latest technology is must for any company. And we have already established that." Producing five million meter of denim fabric every month, Envoy Textiles is currently the Number 1 LEED Platinum certified Green Factory in the world. Two years back, Bangladesh was highly dependent on imported denim fabrics. "Now, we can meet about 50% of the demand locally and are also exporting to some of the globally renowned buyers," Murshedy said. According to Bangladesh Textile Mill Association (BTMA), Bangladesh currently has 31 denim fabrics manufacturing mills, which produce over 400.40 million meter fabrics every year.


Bangladeshi photographer and political activist Shahidul Alam was released from prison late Tuesday after spending more than 100 days in detention in a case denounced around the world as an assault on free speech. Alam was freed late Tuesday after being granted bail by Bangladesh’s high court last week, Agence France-Presse reports. But the internationally renowned photojournalist’s release was delayed after the prosecution appealed. Alam had previously applied for bail four times, according to AFP, and alleged he was beaten in custody. He had been detained since August, when he was arrested for criticizing the government’s use of violence amid widespread student-led protests in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital. "It is a fantastic feeling to be free in a free country, breathing free air. But I hope for freedom for everyone else," Alam told AFP upon his release.


Alam, 63, still faces up to 14 years in prison on charges of spreading propaganda against the government under Bangladeshi’s International Communication and Technology Act (ICT), a law that rights groups have decried as "draconian". The measure has been used to persecute journalists and repress government critics. Alam was arrested in retaliation for statements he made on Facebook and in an interview with Al-Jazeera during student-led mass protests that roiled Dhaka for two weeks. The demonstrations, which began after speeding buses killed two teenagers, initially addressed poor road safety standards. But as thousands of students poured into Dhaka’s streets, their demands expanded to include flashpoint issues of mis-governance, graft and dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. The Bangladeshi government "thought that fear and repression would be enough but you cannot tame an entire nation in this manner," Alam told Al Jazeera. The same day, he was detained by plainclothes police. His arrest drew widespread condemnation around the world, including from the United Nations, and intellectuals and authors like Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Arundhati Roy.


Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered the technocrat ministers of her Cabinet to resign. Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader disclosed the matter on Tuesday afternoon. He said the decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting held at Prime Minister's Office (PMO) earlier in the day. Who are the ministers? The technocrat ministers are:Religious Affairs Minister Matior Rahman, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc, Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman, and Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology (ICT) Minister Mustafa Jabbar. Religious Affairs Minister Matior was elected to parliament for Mymensingh 4 constituency in 1986, 1996, and 2008. On January 12, 2014 the ruling Awami League made him Minister of Religious Affairs. Minister Yeafesh Osman, became involved in politics as a member of Bangladesh Chhatra League and later joined Awami League.


— A devastating fire raced through densely packed buildings in a centuries-old district in Bangladesh’s capital, killing at least 67 people, officials and witnesses said Thursday. The fire in Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area was mostly under control after more than 10 hours of frantic firefighting efforts. About 50 people were injured, with some critically burned. The district dating to the Mughal era 400 years ago is crammed with buildings separated by narrow alleys, with residences commonly above shops, restaurants or warehouses on the ground floors. Denizens of the Muslim-majority nation throng to Chawkbazar each year for traditional goods to celebrate iftar, when the daily fast is broken during Ramadan.


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